Joensuu is a city and municipality in North Karelia in eastern Finland. It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of North Karelia region. It was founded in 1848. The population of Joensuu is 73,373 (January 31, 2011). In the upper card one sees the tiny castle in the River Pielisjoki. The Regional Council of North Karelia meets in this castle. In the lower picture, beyond the small harbour of Joensuu one can see the Evangelical-Lutheran Church, Kirkkokatu, Joensuu in the distance. Merja sent me these cards of this lovely “Forest City” of Finland. Joensuu is a lively student city with over 15,000 students enrolled at the University of Eastern Finland and a further 4,000 at the North Karelia Technical School
The largest employers are the municipal City of Joensuu, North Karelian Hospital District Federation of Municipalities, Abloy and Punamusta. The European Forest Institute, the University and many other institutes and export enterprises such as Abloy and John Deere Forestry give Joensuu an international flavour.
Joensuu is - as the name of the place translates - at the mouth of a river entering a lake. It is one of the relatively fast growing centres in Eastern Finland whichs university supplies a constant stream of freshmeat student from all over the country. There are reportedly also a few foreign students doing their study exchange or post-graduate studies here.
